


And In The End?

by SomeoneWhoIsntMe



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:35:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24243649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeoneWhoIsntMe/pseuds/SomeoneWhoIsntMe
Summary: After her parents divorce, and her father's subsequent absence from her life, Yeojin decides to clean out what he left behind. While rummaging through his home office she comes across something that will change everything she thought she knew about her mother.
Relationships: Jo Haseul/Viian Wong | ViVi, Jo Haseul/Wong Kahei
Comments: 12
Kudos: 58





	1. Prologue

_ -  
**It was 1991, a few weeks into the semester and a nice cool day when they first met. Kahei didn’t know it yet but it was the love of her life who was drowning underneath that jean jacket that was 2 sizes too big for her. She had long chestnut colored hair with a cute fringe, and large wire framed glasses were perched on her sharp nose. Her love was petite but also clumsy and just tripped over herself causing her to drop everything she was carrying.** _

-

Kahei is wandering around the campus when she hears someone let out a Yelp and then a frustrated groan. She turns to see a small brunette kneeling on the ground, a mess of books and documents surrounding her. The wind picks up for a moment and blows a few loose papers in Kahei’s direction. She picks them up and makes her way to their owner.

“I believe these are yours.” She states while holding out what she gathered.

“Oh.” The girl peers up at her, looks between the papers and Kahei with her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. She lets a couple of seconds pass before finally taking them from her. She voices her thanks as she finally stands up.

“Why do you seem so surprised?” Kahei questions.

The girl adjusts everything to one arm while trying to dust off her pants with the other. “Well people usually just keep walking without a second glance when this happens.” She waves her jean clad arm around them as if to make her point.

Kahei hums in acknowledgement noticing students filtering through the campus with tunnel vision. She turns her attention back and sees the girl struggling to make herself decent. “Here, let me.” She doesn’t let the girl protest before freeing her of the materials.

“Thanks again.” The girl says shyly. A hint of pink creeping onto her cheeks as she attempts to make her appearance less frazzled. 

She moves her glasses back up from where they’ve dropped down the bridge of her nose, and fixes her bangs. Being this close Kahei can’t help but notice how pretty she is. Her monolid eyes sparkle in the sunlight, and when she brushes her hair behind her left ear Kahei can see that it has a unique fold at the top. Her skin is absent of any makeup but it still looks impossibly perfect. She has a pure unfiltered beauty that Kahei finds herself admiring.

With one last look over herself the girl speaks up again jostling Kahei from her thoughts. 

“Does it still look like I just tripped on air?” She gives a little spin and the older girl can’t help but smile at the cute display.

“Nope, you look great.” She states confidently.

“Thanks...um, this is the third time I’m thanking you and I still don’t even know your name.” The girl lets out a small laugh.

“Wong Kahei.” She extends her free hand. “And you are?”

“Jo Haseul.” She takes Kahei’s hand in her own. “Your hair is amazing by the way, I don’t think I could ever pull something like that off.” 

“Thank you, I like to stand out.” Kahei takes her hand back to run it through her pink waves. “So where were you heading with all of this?”

“Sorry, I can take those back. I was just going to drop them off at my professors office.”

“Which would be?”

Haseul tilts her head questioningly. “In the music department.”

“Can I come with you? I transferred here for my last semester and I’m actually trying to get to know the campus better. Plus I could help ease the heavy lifting you had going.” Kahei adjusts the weight in her arms again finally realizing just how much the small girl had been carrying.

Haseul looks taken aback but quickly recovers. “Sure. But I can’t let you carry all that.” She gathers about half of the stack from the other girl's arms. “Come on, it’s this way.”

-

**_“Why would you want to have lunch with a stranger?”_ **

**_“I don’t want us to be strangers to each other, Haseul. You seem like someone worth knowing.”_ **

-

If asked why Kahei had wanted to see Haseul again after their first encounter, she wouldn’t know how to answer. She just found herself drawn to the younger girl and wanted to know more about her. Haseul seemed very timid at first but once she started talking about what she was passionate about she became a completely different person. Her eyes lit up and her expressions were more animated, her energy entranced Kahei.

The older girl quickly learned that their friendship was something she didn't want to go without ever again. Haseul was a breath of fresh air compared to the people she knew back home. Somehow between both of their schedules they still managed to find time to see each other. 

Haseul lived off campus in an apartment her dad was renting out for her until she graduated, so the girls spent most of their evenings there. When they weren’t catching up on work or studying, Kahei would show Haseul how she pieced together her designs while the latter would show her everything that went into being a good singer.

They’re sitting on the living room floor one afternoon finishing up some assignments, when Haseul interrupts their comfortable silence.

“So what are your plans for winter break?”

Kahei perks up at the question. “I’m glad you brought it up actually. I’m going overseas!” She can’t help the wide smile that adorns her features.

“That’s great Kahei, where is your family going?”

“They’ll be in Hong Kong. It’s just going to be me.” Haseul scrunches her eyebrows in confusion. “I got asked to model for a company in France, I’ll only be there for about a week though. Then I’ll be with my family in time for Christmas.”

“Wow, that’s amazing! I’m so happy for you. Although I’ll be sad to see you go, I’ve gotten so used to having you around I don’t know what I’ll do with myself for the month.”

“Are you not going back home?”

Haseul lowers her head and starts picking at a loose thread on her pants.

“I am. But my parents always pester me so much that they manage to make every visit unbearable.” They have never really discussed their families in depth so Haseul’s words and sad tone catch Kahei off guard.

She shifts closer to the younger girl, she lays a hand on top of Haseul’s own to stop her fidgeting and uses the other to lift her chin up. Once she has her undivided attention Kahei drops her hand and speaks again. 

“I’m not going to pretend like I know what you've gone through but they’re foolish to expect more than what you are giving now. Haseul, in the short time I’ve known you I’ve been proven time and time again that you’re unlike anyone I’ve ever met. You’re driven, selfless, intelligent, and so caring. I could compliment you all day. You’re damn near perfect and nobody should make you feel like you’re anything less than that, especially your parents.”

“Do you really mean that?” Haseul’s voice cracks and Kahei can see her eyes start brimming with tears she's holding back.

“Of course I do. I was right when we first met, you are someone worth knowing.” Her words are laced with nothing but genuine adoration that she hopes her friend can feel.

Haseul doesn’t voice her gratitude, instead she wraps Kahei up in the tightest hug they’ve ever shared. It only takes a moment for Kahei to react and move her own arms around the younger girl. She doesn’t know how much time passes before Haseul finally speaks from where her head is propped up on Kahei’s shoulder.

“I have to tell you something. I don’t know how you’ll react but I can’t let you think I’m perfect when I haven’t been one hundred percent honest about who I am.” She squeezes Kahei one last time before pulling away. The older girl can’t help but wonder why it feels like she’s saying goodbye.

“I-I um,” Haseul takes in a shaky breath and closes her eyes, seemingly willing herself to get it together.

Kahei can see how hesitant she is in revealing this information and speaks on it. “Hey, you don’t have to say anything if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“No. I have to.” Her voice is steadier now as she makes eye contact with Kahei again. “The reason I dread my visits back home is because my parents always try to set me up with some new guy every time. That’s typical though, parents usually try to meddle in their older kids' love lives once they reach adulthood but it’s different with me.” She takes another deep breath. “It’s different because they use it to try to ‘fix me’. They think if they push men on me I’ll just magically stop being bisexual.” She finishes.

“So you like women? That’s your secret?” Kahei makes sure her words don’t come out harshly.

Haseul only nods in response and this time it’s Kahei that initiates the hug.

“You don’t have to be afraid of who you are Haseul. Whether you’re in a relationship with a man or a woman doesn’t affect how I think of you. I’m sorry that your parents feel like they need to change you in any way, but I stand by what I said earlier. You’re an amazing person and I’m glad to call you my best friend. I don’t love you any less because of who you’re attracted to.” 

It’s the first time Kahei is telling her friend she loves her but it feels right. She needs to make sure Haseul knows how much she cares for her and that she’s not going anywhere.

-

**_“I can’t wait until I’m a successful fashion designer. I'll finally settle down with a good guy, get married, and have a kid. Just one though, a girl.”_ **

**_“You seem to have everything planned out Kahei. Do you already have a name for your future daughter too?”_ **

**_“Yeojin.”_ **

-

Kahei doesn’t know how she ended up in this situation. Somewhere between their first meeting and now she fell in love with her best friend. If she really thinks about it though she should’ve seen it coming. 

Little by little after winter break, she found herself wanting to be physically closer to Haseul. Being separated for a month with not much contact aside from some postcards and a couple of long distance phone calls made her realize just how much she just wanted to be around Haseul. So whether it was linking their arms as they walked around or being curled up together as they watched tv she made sure to not miss any opportunity to attach herself to the younger girl. Luckily Haseul never complained about it.

On top of her new love for skinship, she also started to find every small thing the other girl did endearing. Her expressions as she read, the way she couldn’t help but start dancing along to whatever played on the radio. Even now, as Haseul slurps up noodles obnoxiously and gets sauce all over the edges of her mouth, Kahei can’t help but think she’s the luckiest person in the restaurant.

“We should’ve ordered take out, you’re making a mess.” She leans over the table to dab at the corners of the other girls mouth with a napkin.

Haseul’s cheeks take on a pink hue as she swallows and speaks up. “I could’ve cleaned off my own face you know?” Kahei just shrugs. “Anyways, we’re supposed to eat out today. We have to show everyone how perpetually single we are and complain about how love doesn’t exist.” She says dramatically while clutching her chest.

“This is ridiculous.” Kahei can’t help but laugh around her words.

“Hey, you agreed to come out with me. No one forced you to.” Haseul states pointing her chopsticks at Kahei.

She’s right nobody forced her to, but Kahei has found that she can't say no to Haseul. So when the younger girl asked if she wanted to celebrate ‘Black Day’ with her she agreed without even knowing what it was.

“So you don’t?”

Haseul gives her a confused hum as she chews.

“Believe that love exists I mean?” She elaborates.

“I’d like to think it does but my parents married out of convenience and not love so they didn’t set a great example for me.” 

“You never saw potential with anyone?”

Haseul has an unreadable expression on her face when their eyes lock. “I did once, but I couldn’t confess.” Kahei is about to prod further but Haseul doesn’t give her the chance as she quickly changes the subject. “Can we go back to my place? I’m kind of tired of being in all black clothes, plus I have soju waiting for us.”

“Oh, yeah, sure.” She quickly agrees, sensing that Haseul doesn’t want to talk about their previous subject anymore.

“Great. Come on.” She stands, holding out her hand. Kahei takes it into her own and laces their fingers together loosely.

It’s moments like these when she lets herself pretend that they’re more than friends. She relishes in how soft Haseul’s hand is and how it seems to fit perfectly in her own. She lets herself enjoy it for the few seconds it takes for them to walk toward Haseul’s car where they inevitably need to relinquish the hold. The whole ride to the apartment Kahei can’t help but wonder what it’d be like to hold the girl’s free hand as she drove too.

As soon as they’re inside the apartment Haseul turns on her stereo and then makes her way to the fridge. She pulls out a bottle of soju and a shot glass for each of them. They finish the first bottle rather quickly with the music still playing softly in the background as their minds grow fuzzy from the alcohol. They don’t really start making conversation until they’re halfway through the second bottle.

Haseul is singing along to a song, some of the words come out a bit slurred but she’s still in perfect pitch, when all of a sudden she stops. 

“Kahei.”

Kahei has her eyes closed while leaning her head against the sofa. She groans in protest when she feels the younger girl poke her cheek and hears her call her name again. “Mmngh, what?” 

“Look at meeee.”

Kahei reluctantly opens her eyes. The grogginess caused by the alcohol making it harder for her to keep them as wide as she’d like. “Okay, I’m looking.” And she is. Once she lays her gaze on Haseul she feels her senses sober up a bit. Focusing on the glassy brown staring back at her and nothing else. 

“Isn’t this nice?” 

Kahei nods against the cushion slowly. “It is.”

Haseul moves closer to her, resting her own head just a few inches from Kahei. “I like that I can just be myself around you. I can let loose, let go of all the pressure everyone puts on me, and finally relax you know?” 

“Yeah.” Kahei breathes out only noticing now how close Haseul is to her. 

She could count the other girl’s eyelashes if she really wanted to, but that’s not what she focuses on. Instead all her senses are overwhelmed by Haseul’s sweet perfume, the way she’s started caressing Kahei’s cheek, and her face inching closer to her own. Before her mind can catch up to what’s happening she feels soft lips against her own and she forgets how to breath for a second.

Haseul is kissing her.

Her hazy thoughts take a second to process what’s going on, but then she’s reciprocating the kiss and wow that’s a new feeling. 

This isn’t her first kiss, but it feels like it. It’s something new, and not just because Haseul is a girl. She knows the reasoning has everything to do with the deeper affection she holds for her best friend.

The kiss is gentle, warm, and so full of a tenderness Kahei has never experienced with anyone else. Their lips lazily fitting together with a pressure that’s just too perfect. They move in tandem for what feels like forever before Haseul pulls away. Their breathing is labored and Kahei can feel her heart beating erratically inside her chest.

“Sorry I-“

“Don’t be sorry.” Kahei calms her breathing and finally opens her eyes to see Haseul looking back at her with confusion. “Just don't tell me the soju made you do it.”

She can see Haseul searching for something in her eyes. Kahei hopes she sees how much she wants her. How much she wants Haseul to want her back and how much she wants this to not just be a drunken mistake.

“It didn’t.”

-

**_“I couldn’t risk losing you so I kept my feelings hidden away.”_ **

**_“I felt the same way Seul. But now I can’t picture myself with anyone else.”_ **

-

Everything was going perfect for Kahei. Her relationship with Haseul was still in the honeymoon phase. She was about to finish up her last semester of university and she just got offered a paid internship.

There was just one problem.

“I’ll have to travel to New York for the second half of the job.”

They’re in a nice quiet park having a picnic when she tells the news to Haseul.

“Oh.” A beat of silence falls between them. “So what does that mean for us?” Her girlfriend’s question comes out weakly and Kahei’s heart shatters a bit.

“You don’t have to worry about us babe.” She states confidently while firmly grabbing Haseul’s hands in her own. “We’ll be able to spend every day together until I have to leave. And once I do go it’s only for 3 months. We’ll be able to send letters often and I’ll make sure to call whenever I can. I won’t even give you the chance to miss me.”

Haseul scuffs at her last sentence and finally lets a small smile show. Kahei rubs her thumbs against her knuckles comfortingly. 

“I love you.” The younger girl holds her gaze and Kahei can’t help but pour her heart out. “I’m so in love with you it scares me sometimes but I would never let you go. This is just a slight bump in the road that’ll bring us closer together I promise.” Kahei raises one of Haseul’s hands to her lips and places a gentle kiss on it.

**4 months later**

The first half of Kahei’s internship had passed by quickly. Between her workload and spending time with Haseul she barely had the chance to process the fact that she would soon be without her girlfriend. It seemed easier to think about when they were still seeing each other everyday but now that she’s thousands of miles away it hits her.

She had sent her first letter the day after she landed. She wrote about her exhausting flight and how New York City was even more hectic than in the movies. She only had to wait a week to hear back from Haseul and when she finally received a letter back she reread it more times than she can recall. 

They write to each other frequently realizing quickly that it was easier than phone calls. Sure they missed each other’s voices but it became too expensive and not as reliable since the signal would be dodgy at best. Plus between their respective jobs and the time difference letters became the obvious better choice.

Kahei couldn’t complain though. She always had something good to look forward to now. There was a simplicity in them that she enjoyed as well. Reading over her lover's words of excitement about her new summer job as a vocal coach, her annoyance at some of her students' parents, or her joy when one of the kids would excel at something she taught them. It warmed her heart and made her fall deeper for Haseul.

She cherished every letter completely except the one she was reading over now.

_ Dear Kahei, _

_ I know it’s only been two days since I last wrote to you but I needed to let my frustration out. My parents are once again starting to set me up on dates. I know you said you didn’t want me to tell them about us but it’s so infuriating. Thankfully the guy was kind and didn’t seem to be offended when I told him I wasn’t interested. _

_ I wish you were here with me. Better yet I wish we were both back in my old apartment where no one would bother us. I missed being back in Ansan but I really did not miss my parents. At least once the summer is over you’ll be back and we can start our new life together back in Seoul. I can’t wait for that. I miss you so much. _

_ All my love, _

_ Haseul _

There’s a foreign sensation in her chest as she reads about what her girlfriend’s parents have done. She’s never met them but she’s heard enough from Haseul to know that she never wants to. She quickly grabs the things she needs and starts writing her response.

After that her days get busier. One of the designers her team was under took interest in her work and decided to give Kahei her own solo project. She stayed up late and woke up early for so many days that it took her a week and a half to notice she never received a new letter from Haseul. As soon as she did though she tried to call to no avail. Panic sets in her chest so she does the only thing she can think of. She writes.

The weeks drag without a single reply to all the letters she’s sent.

At first she didn’t let herself dwell on it too much, she chalked it up to Haseul possibly being just as busy as she was. After the first few letters and some more calls she started getting upset. She had never been angry at Haseul before but it felt like the younger girl just cut her out of her life. But that didn’t make sense since her last letter stated that she missed her. So she continues writing and calling. She leaves multiple messages on her answering machine just begging for an answer. After a while she starts feeling numb. She buries herself in her work to keep from thinking about Haseul. Her hard work is praised by everyone but she just feels empty. She avoids going out. Instead she spends her nights reading over the old letters, crying herself to sleep.

It takes the rest of her time in New York to realize that she can’t keep holding on to Haseul. So with a heavy heart she accepts a job back in Hong Kong instead of the one waiting in Seoul and before leaving she writes one last letter. 

It doesn’t beg for a response back like the previous ones. Kahei doesn’t say she misses or loves her even though deep down she knows she always will. She writes a goodbye. She thanks Haseul for the time they spent together and wishes her nothing but happiness before letting go.


	2. Hidden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes things aren’t what they seem.

_**Present Day-2008** _

  
Most kids growing up don’t secretly hope that their parents will be part of the percentage of marriages that end in divorce. Yeojin is an exception. Because ever since she could remember she always found herself comparing her family with others and one thing always stood out. Her parents weren’t in love.

Yeojin doesn’t know if they ever were.

Another thing was that, aside from making sure she was taken care of financially, her father was never really present in her life. He had spent most of her childhood on business trips or staying at his apartment near his office so she was practically raised single handedly by her mother. She never held any animosity toward him though because it was all she was used to. Her mother never expressed any anger toward him either so that made it easier on her.

Yeojin sometimes wondered about her mother’s reasoning for staying with him so long. Maybe it was just what she was used to? Or maybe they didn’t want to become a stigma in society? She doesn’t know, she’s only fifteen. All the knowledge she has about relationships has come from the books she’s read and the dramas she’s watched. But she knew one thing for certain and it was that her mother always deserved better.

She loves her mother more than anything, and she admires her so much. She has shown time and time again that she would do anything for Yeojin’s happiness and well being. Even at her busiest she still made time for her. She couldn’t picture anybody else being her mother.

It was the beginning of summer when her mother told her she was filing for divorce. Yeojin was a bit surprised at first. She had been waiting for this moment but now that it was coming true she couldn’t believe it. Her father on the other hand didn’t seem fazed at all by it. The last time she heard from him in person was right before the divorce was finalized. They went out to dinner just to tell Yeojin that her mother would have full custody. So no drastic changes really came from the whole situation.

That was right before she started high school, now spring break is approaching. Yeojin has decided that today she would do both her mom and herself a favor and make the house officially just their own. Which entails getting rid of the crap her dad left behind.

“Earth to Im Yeojin.” She’s brought out of her thoughts by her best friend’s voice and her hand waving in front of her face. “What’s on your mind? You were zoned out for a while there.”

“Nothing really, I just realized I need to do some spring cleaning after school.”

Yerim starts clapping excitedly. “Oooh, can I help? We can rearrange your whole room.”

Yeojin nods her head, amused at her friend’s reaction. “Sure we can do that, but I have a project in mind first.”

-

Yeojin’s house is quiet when they arrive.

“Hey, where’s your mom?”

“She had to catch up on something so she’s still at work. She’ll be here in a couple of hours which should be enough time to clean out that glorified storage room. Do you want to eat first or wait until after we’re done?” Yeojin questions as she dumps her bag on the couch, Yerim following suit.

“After is good, I ate a ton during lunch so I should be okay until we finish.”

“Alright, lets get changed out of these uniforms so we can get this over with.”

They quickly make their way upstairs and change into more appropriate cleaning attire before going back downstairs. Yeojin leads them down the hallway that takes them to her father’s old home office.

She makes her way inside and flicks on the light switch. Thankfully, Yeojin’s home isn’t as obnoxiously big as her grandparents. It’s still a bit bigger than average but the rooms are decently sized and this one is actually the smallest in the house so it makes their job easier.

“Woah,” Yerim looks around. “It’s like a time machine in here.”

She’s not wrong. The room is filled with all sorts of old things that her father felt were valuable at some point or another. Now long forgotten. The things that aren’t covered in a layer of dust have sheets over them for protection. Yeojin is relieved to see that there aren’t any huge gaudy pieces of furniture, the desk being the biggest thing there. It looks like it must’ve been bought when her parents first moved in, it’s outdated but still in good condition. Yeojin makes a mental note to add it to the stuff they’ll donate.

“Okay, first we’re going to look through everything and sort it into three piles. One for donating, one for stuff that we want to keep or repurpose, and one for the trash. Then we will deep clean, sound good?” After not getting an immediate response she turns to see her best friend browsing through a stack of old movies in the corner. “Yerim?”

“Yeah, yeah. I got it.” She finally faces the smaller girl while holding up a vhs tape. “I haven’t seen one of these in forever, do you think there’s a vcr in here?”

“Probably, but can we focus on the task at hand please?” Yerim pouts at her and her resolve crumbles for a second. “Ugh. Look if we find one I promise we can check if it works and watch a movie, but only after we finish.” The pout is now replaced with Yerim’s famous megawatt smile.

“What are we waiting for then? Let’s get to it!”

About half an hour into looking through everything Yeojin found the vcr, seemingly igniting Yerim’s determination to finish faster. So about an hour later they were almost finished, keyword being almost. They had emptied out the desk and were starting to carry it out when they heard something shifting around inside of it.

“I thought we took everything out?” Yerim has her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. She reopens all of the drawers again only to find them empty. “Well, I guess the desk is haunted.”

“Wait,” Yeojin moves closer and starts knocking inside each of the drawers.

“Um, I’m not an expert but I don’t think the ghost is going to answer that way.”

Yeojin ignores her as she gets to the final and biggest drawer. “Ha!” She starts putting pressure inside until something clicks and lifts up the false bottom earning her an impressed noise from Yerim. “I knew it.” She slides out the lifted piece of plywood only to find a keyhole with a latch. “Of course it’s locked.”

“Do you think your mom has the key?” Yeojin shakes her head, Yerim hums. “How about your dad? It is his desk after all there could be something important in there.”

Yeojin sighs heavily. She hasn’t talked to her dad about anything that wasn’t school related in forever but Yerim has a point. “I guess I could call and ask.”

She takes out her phone and presses his contact.

Her dad picks up on the second ring. _“Yeojin this is unexpected. I’m working right now but is everything okay?”_

“Yeah, everything’s fine dad. I just had a quick question about the desk in your old office.”

If he’s surprised that she’s in there to begin with his tone doesn’t show it. _“What is it?”_

“I was trying to move it out of the room and I heard something moving around inside and found a false bottom in one of the drawers but it’s locked. I was wondering if you had the key so I can take whatever is inside of it out.”

_“I don’t. Your grandfather asked me to put away an old Manila folder for him years ago and I did. I never asked what was in it but he wasn’t upset when I told him I misplaced the key. I told him I could have someone pry it open to get it out but he insisted that it was fine. So I don’t believe it held anything valuable inside.”_

“Okay, thanks anyways dad.” They exchange goodbyes and she sees Yerim looking up from the floor expectantly. “It was a bust.”

“Well, I didn’t want it to come to this but desperate times.” Yerim gets up and exits the room leaving a confused Yeojin behind.

She re-enters the room with a small leather pouch. “Yerim what is that?”

“A lock picking kit.” The taller girl says nonchalantly while reclaiming her previous seat on the floor and beginning to take out some tools.

“Excuse me? Where did you even get that from?”

“My cousin Hyunjin.” She doesn’t elaborate further just sticks a couple of the tools in the keyhole and wiggles them around a bit. A minute passes by and nothing.

“You know, he said there’s nothing important in there so we could just forget about it.” 

Yerim holds out a finger in her direction as if telling her to wait. She switches out the hook she’s using for a more serrated looking tool and gets back to it. Yeojin watches her intently and after a few seconds the lock clicks. “Yes!”

“No way.” Yeojin is impressed. “You actually did it.”

Yerim opens the latch and reaches inside. She pulls out the folder and hands it to Yeojin. “There, now we can get this stupid desk out of here and finish up. You have a promise to keep.”

She opens the folder and peeks in it quickly just to see a bunch of letters. She puts it aside to look through It more throughly later, before finishing up in the room. Once everything is done they make their way back into the living room and hook up the now clean vcr to the tv.

“Can we watch The Little Mermaid first?”

“Yeah, start it up while I go make us popcorn.”

When the first kernels start popping away, her mom finally gets home. The sound of her soft voice and heels filtering in, catching Yeojin’s attention from the other room.

“Oh, Yerim I didn’t know you were coming over today.”

“I was helping Yeojin with something, look at what we found.”

The microwave starts beeping and Yeojin transfers the popcorn to a bowl before joining them. She sees Yerim proudly showing off all the relics of the past that she called dibs on, while the menu screen for the movie is displayed on the tv.

“I found this BoA debut album too. Is this yours?” Yerim holds up the cd for Yeojin’s mom to inspect.

The older woman shakes her head. “No, that copy belonged to Yeojin’s father. I have mine with the rest of my album collection.” Yeojin molds into her mom’s side, earning her a side hug and a kiss on the temple. “I see you two cleaned out that office. Thank you sweetie, I completely forgot it even existed.”

“It was no big deal.”

“Well, I’m gonna go start dinner. You two enjoy your movie, I’ll let you know when the food is ready.”

The rest of the night goes by with Yerim insisting on watching back to back movies. Halfway through 101 Dalmatians her parents finally called and told her to come home. Thankfully home was just across the street.

Yeojin ends up curling into bed that night completely forgetting about the folder.

-

While rushing to get ready for school the next day Yeojin suddenly remembers the folder they found. She was going to give it to her mom last night to drop off at her grandparents house this morning but it slipped her mind. Now that her mom has already left for work she decides to just drop it off herself after school.

She quickly runs down and shoves the folder in her bag just as the doorbell rings multiple times indicating Yerim is there. “I’M COMING!” She yells while zipping up her bookbag and making her way to the door. She whips it open effectively putting a stop to the frantic ringing. “I know you heard me.” Yerim gives her an innocent look as she locks the door.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She states while linking their arms and walking toward the bus stop.

-

Once they are in the school they part ways to their designated classrooms. Despite growing up together and attending the same schools, Yerim was still a year older so they didn’t share any time together in school except during lunch.

As Yeojin takes her seat and goes to take out her supplies, she notices a mess of letters in her bag. She lets out a sigh as she realizes she forgot to close the folder back up before shoving it in her bag. Thankfully they all seem to be sealed so she takes the folder out before grabbing the envelopes. As she starts moving them back to the folder, she notices something strange. Every single letter is addressed to her mom from another woman who’s name she doesn’t recognize.

She’s confused.

Her dad said her grandfather never told him what the contents were and wasn’t upset when they were stuck in the desk. But the letters don’t belong to him. So did her mother give them to her grandfather to put away? If she did, why? And why did her grandfather end up asking her dad to keep them locked in his desk? Nothing makes sense.

She ends up even more confused when she notices one of the envelopes is open and starts reading the letter inside. She only has one thought after she finishes.  
  


_Who exactly is Wong Kahei?_


	3. Closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gotta dig deeper.

**_Lunch period that same day_ **

After a few minutes had passed of them just eating, Yeojin finally breaks the silence. “Yerim I need your help.” She states as calmly as she can considering the circumstances.

  
Her best friend looks up from where she was shoveling food in her mouth. “Wahkindahelp?” She mumbles around the mouth full of rice.

Yeojin looks around at the crowded room. “Do you mind if we go outside? I don’t want to talk about this around so many people.”

Yerim sensing the seriousness of the situation quickly swallows and nods. “Sure, c’mon.”

They gather up their things and make their way to the eating area outside. There are less people and Yeojin feels a bit more at ease now. Once they sit down Yerim speaks up.

“So what is it you need help with?”

Instead of answering with words Yeojin reaches into her bag and hands her best friend the letter. Yerim looks confused but takes it anyway. Yeojin sees her eyes scanning over the words she’s already committed to memory.

-

_ My Beloved Seul, _

_ I never received a response to the last letter I sent. It must have gotten lost before reaching you. Here’s to hoping this one reaches you safely. _

_ I can’t believe your parents are forcing you to go out on these dates again, I hate that they take advantage of your kindness like this. On the bright side he was decent enough and respected your boundaries. _

_ Everything here is going as well as it can be. My coworkers have made the transition a smooth one, I’m thankful that they’re so understanding. This internship has been pretty illuminating. It’s so interesting to finally have a real grasp of what my future holds for me. It feels like all my hard work in university is paying off and everything is falling into place. Besides one thing at least. _

_ I miss you. I wish everyday that I could be back home with you. New York is a great place and I’m meeting a lot of great people but things are not the same without you by my side. I look forward to your response as always. _

_ Forever Yours, _

_ Kahei _

-

Yerim puts the letter down gently. Yeojin can tell she’s deep in thought by the way her eyebrows are furrowed. “Who is Kahei?”

“No idea, that’s what I need help with. I’ve read this thing over and over and I don’t think she was just an old friend my mom had.” Yeojin takes out the folder from her bag. “This thing is filled with letters from this woman to her.”

Yerim takes the folder and confirms what was just told to her. “You didn’t open any of the other ones?”

“No, that feels invasive. That one was open and I already felt kind of guilty after reading it. On to the point though, I want to know why my grandfather hid these letters. I have this feeling in my gut that my mom doesn’t even know they exist.”

“Do you think they were in a relationship?” Yerim questions. Yeojin hears no judgment in her voice and knows she made the right decision confiding in her friend.

Yeojin nods. 

It didn’t take her long to reach that conclusion. Her mother has never said anything about liking women but she taught Yeojin from an early age that love isn’t something that can only be between a man and a woman. It became clear to her now that she must’ve been speaking from experience. After reading the letter she had no doubt this woman cared really deeply for her mother. She needs to know what happened to them.

“My guess is my grandfather found out about Kahei and decided to put a stop to what they had without my mom knowing. He’s an old man that likes everything to be his way so I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t approve of this ‘lifestyle’ for her.”

Yerim lets out a thoughtful hum. “I see. Well it looks like I’m going to be doing research on Wong Kahei during my free period.”

“Thanks Yerim. They might have met while studying at university so look out for that.” The bell rings indicating they had to part ways again. “I’ll see you after school.” She starts gathering all her things and starts walking away. “Oh, and you’re staying over for the weekend so we can get this figured out!” She yells back to her best friend before heading inside to her next class.

She had a really good feeling about this. 

-

When Yeojin sees Yerim again her best friend hands her a few papers. 

“Wong Kahei. Born in Hong Kong, China. Studied at Hong Kong School of Design and finished her last semester in Seoul as a transfer student at your mom’s alma mater. After graduation she did an internship in New York before going back to Hong Kong and building herself up to become one of the greatest designers today.” 

As they start walking Yeojin looks at the Wikipedia pages Yerim printed out that stated all of the woman’s accomplishments. The last one catches her attention. Above the statement ‘Wong Kahei at the Met Gala (2007)’ is a picture. 

“Wow, she’s pretty.”

“I thought the same thing, clearly your mom has taste.” She says while guiding Yeojin on the bus and toward the seats. “There was a lot more in her wiki but Mr. Kang was giving me a hard time about using the library's printer for personal use.”

“I didn’t expect her to be a famous designer. Contacting her is going to be harder than I thought.” Yeojin says while admiring the picture again.

Yerim looks at her best friend like she’s insane. “That’s not just going to be hard, it’s damn near impossible. Women like her don’t just talk to anyone, especially a couple of teenagers.”

“Don’t be like that, I’m sure we can find a way. Most rich and famous people are on some kind of social media so we can start there.” 

“I guess you’re right, but what do we even say if we get in contact with her?” 

Yeojin hadn’t actually thought that far ahead. She’s kind of winging everything. She shrugs her shoulders.

“The truth? We found all these letters from her to my mom and want to know what happened between them.”

They get off the bus when it approaches their stop and start the short walk to the house.

“Are you not going to tell your mom at all about the letters?” Yerim prods cautiously.

Yeojin shakes her head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, at least not yet. I want to have all the details first. My grandfather possibly ruined something great between them and I want to see if I can help find them closure.”

“You sound really mature for a kid.” Yerim ruffles her hair.

“First of all, you’re only a year older than me. Secondly, I just want my mom to be happy.” Yeojin says, her voice taking a softer tone. “Like, I know she loves me and loves her job. I know she’s happy in that sense but I feel like she’s always been missing something and this might be it.”

“I get that, your mom is an actual angel. If we can fix what your grandfather ruined I'm sure she’d be grateful. It isn't going to be easy though.”

“I know, but I’m sure we’ll have a solid plan by Monday. I have enough energy drinks and candy to keep us up all weekend.”

Yerim gives Yeojin a worried look and sends a silent prayer to whatever higher being there is to get her through this alive.

-

It turns out Yerim didn’t need divine intervention. Ms. Jo (as she insisted Yerim should call her since the divorce) made a giant meal that caused Yeojin to fall into a food induced coma right after her shower. Yerim walked into the bedroom to find her best friend facedown on her bed, laptop open next to her unconscious body.

Sighing, Yerim takes the laptop and sits on the other side of the bed. She’s not tired yet so she figures she can look deeper into Kahei by herself until she gets drowsy. She opens up the internet tab and googles the name like she did earlier in school but instead of immediately clicking on Wikipedia she scrolls down through the other links.

She decides to click on the one dated most recently which happens to be from a few days ago.

_ **Wong Kahei will be revealing collaboration with Y.B. at So…** _

She quickly clicks the link, redirecting her to a fashion blog with the complete headline.

**Wong Kahei will be revealing collaboration with Y.B. at Seoul’s upcoming fashion week.**

She quickly skims the article. A couple of things stand out immediately. Not only is the event Kahei is attending during spring break, which starts in 9 days, tickets for both of them to go would only be 20,000 won. She gets off the bed and grabs her wallet from her bag. The credit card her dad gave her is supposed to be for food and emergency purposes only but she’d like to think this qualifies as a type of emergency. After receiving a confirmation email she goes back to the article.

Apparently this Y.B. woman was Kahei’s inspiration to become a designer in the first place. Yerim vaguely remembers the initials coming up on Kahei’s profile but she knows next to nothing about high end fashion so she decides to look into her as well. She types the initials into google along with the words ‘fashion designer’, and goes into the wiki page. She’s a bit shocked to see the name staring back at her.

**Yeojin Bae**

Yerim looks down to her best friend thinking this is too big of a coincidence. Yeojin isn’t a super common name. Did the woman that they knew nothing about before today name her? Yerim decides this is too much to think about on her own so she shuts off the laptop. They have all day tomorrow to go over this.

-

Yeojin wakes up the next morning not having any recollection of ever falling asleep. She guesses the whole situation took a harder mental toll on her than she thought it would. She looks over to where Yerim is laying and sees her laptop on the other nightstand. She feels a bit guilty, Yerim must have gone through with their plans even though Yeojin fell asleep.

It’s already a bit past 8 so she decides to make breakfast for both of them as an apology for last night and also as a thank you for Yerim helping her out in the first place.

After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she makes her way to the kitchen. While staring into the fridge she’s hit with the realization that she can’t cook. Closing it she makes her way to the pantry, cereal will have to do. As she sets down the box and goes to grab some bowls, her mom walks into the kitchen.

“Hey, sweetheart you’re up pretty early for the weekend.” She makes her way to the coffee pot and refills the mug in her hands.

“Yeah, I kind of fell asleep on Yerim last night so I was gonna make her breakfast as an apology.”

Her mom stares at the box on the table. “You’re bringing her cereal?” She gives Yeojin a confused look.

Putting the bowls down she lets out a sigh. “Well I was going to make an actual meal but me and the stove don’t get along.”

Her mom looks even more puzzled at her statement. “What do you mean by you don’t- you know what, I think it’s better if I don’t ask questions. I'll take over from here. How does gyeranmari sound?”

“So much better than cereal!” She says excitedly. She puts everything back away before helping her mom get set up to cook.

“Here, crack the eggs into the bowl and beat them for me.” She does as she’s told while her mom quickly chops up some veggies. After prepping in silence for a few minutes her mom speaks up again. “So, you and Yerim have been spending more time together than usual lately.” Her voice trails off at the end in a way Yeojin has never heard before and it throws her off a bit.

“Yeah, I needed an extra set of hands while cleaning the office and now I asked her for some help with some school stuff.” Yeojin has never lied to her mom but she doesn’t know what else to do. It’s not like she can burst out everything she just found out while they're in the middle of making breakfast.

“You know Yeojin,” She cuts up the first omelette roll and hands it to her daughter to eat before continuing. “You don’t have to lie to me. I don’t want there to be any secrets between us.” 

While chewing her food, Yeojin suddenly feels frozen at her mom's words and serious tone. She thinks over everything quickly trying to see if her mom somehow found out about the letters. She tries to put together an explanation before she speaks up but her thought process is interrupted.

“If you and Yerim are dating I won’t be upset.”

She almost chokes on her food. She starts coughing and her mom quickly hands her some water. After taking a few sips and calming down, she looks at her mom like she just grew another head.

“Eww mom, no.” Yeojin realizes that’s probably not the best way to address the situation and elaborates. “Not that there’s anything wrong with something like that but it’s Yerim. She’s practically my sister, that’s weird. Plus, I’m not interested in anyone right now. The moment I am I’ll make sure to let you know.”

“Okay, sorry I assumed. You two have just seemed closer than before and I thought that might’ve been the reason.”

“Nope, just good old school work bonding.” She lies through her teeth again.

Thankfully this time around it seems to convince her mother enough to drop the subject. Yeojin watches her plate up another omelette for Yerim and sets it on the table before starting her own. When Yeojin finishes up she puts her dish in the sink. She walks up to her mom’s side and places a kiss on her cheek. 

“I love you mom. Thanks again for breakfast.” Before receiving a reply she grabs the other plate and rushes to her room. She nearly runs over Yerim at the top of the stairs.

“Hey speed racer what’s the rush?” The taller girl states while steadying both of them.

Yeojin doesn’t answer, opting to hand her best friend her food and then pushing her into the bedroom instead. Yerim starts chowing down at the desk while Yeojin sits on the bed.

“Not that I mind, but why am I eating in here?”

“Well I wanted to make you breakfast to apologize for last night an-“

“You made this?” Yerim’s voice is full of surprise and a hint of doubt.

“If you would let me finish.” Yerim goes back to eating. “Like I was saying. I wanted to make you breakfast but I almost burned down the kitchen last time I tried using the stove, so I was just gonna get us some cereal. My mom decided actual food was better and helped me out but then she got all weird about it.” Yerim gives her a look that tells her to elaborate. “She thought we were dating.”

Yerim snorts. “Please, I could do so much better than you.”

Yeojin shoots her a death glare. “You wish! Anyways, I had to tell her you were helping me out with my school work to get her off my back.”

“Well we are going to be holed up in here working so it’s not too far off from the truth.” Yerim says, finally finishing her food. “Speaking of, do you know who named you by any chance?”

Yeojin looks at her quizzically. “I don’t see how this has anything to do with the subject, but no.”

Yerim goes toward the laptop. She powers it up to reveal the page she was on last night. “I think Kahei might’ve. This woman was the one that inspired her to be a designer when she was younger. I thought it was kind of strange that you share the same name.”

“This just gets weirder and weirder huh?” Yeojin says looking over the page of the woman that’s possibly her namesake. “At least she picked someone successful. I’m obviously bound for greatness.”

“Sure you are. Anyways they’re both going to be at Seoul Fashion Week which is during spring break so I got us tickets.”

Yeojin changes her focus back to her best friend. “Seriously?”

“Mhmm. Bought them last night while you decided drooling all over your pillow was more productive.”

Yeojin can’t even find it in her to be mad at Yerim’s jab at her. She’s too shocked. She’s going to see Kahei in person and hopefully get to talk to her by next week. Suddenly she feels entirely unprepared for this. 

“Yeojin?”

“Sorry, this is just a lot at once. I didn’t think we’d get a chance like this so soon.”

“Hey, I'm right here for this whole ride. If you ever think we should stop we can.”

Yeojin leans her head on Yerim’s shoulder. “Thanks. I think I’m just nervous that this could all turn out to be a waste of time.”

Yerim wraps her arm around Yeojin and squeezes a bit. “Even if it turns out to be a dud, no time I spend with you is time I consider to be wasted.”

Yeojin lifts her head to give her best friend a fake disgusted look. “Eww maybe my mom was onto something.” She pauses for dramatic effect before whispering. “Are you secretly in love with me?”

Yerim gives her a hard shove before Yeojin breaks out into laughter.

Yerim joins her hysterics shortly after.


End file.
